Chapter 9 – I Dream Of Crystal
Camri and Ariel had located Assurrani, Latta and the captive Relmyna Verenim, and had also fetched Areen and Knight-Bachelor Halisman from outside. Witch Doctor had fled to the Imperial City as soon as he had made good his escape.
The group had briefly discussed Camri and Ariel's findings, knowing time to be at a premium.
"So, Relmyna" Camri asked, walking towards the captive. "The 13th of Rain's Hand. What's so special about that date?"
Relmyna said nothing.
"We know about the connection to the Shade of the Revenant" Ariel said. "You even have the Dark Fissure marked on a map"
"Since you'll doubtless go there anyway I might as well tell you" Relmyna sighed. "Every prominent necromancer in Tamriel has been told to meet outside Dark Fissure at 1am on the 13th. You surely know that that date is a special Revenant, one that grants more power. You want to know why that particular Revenant has been selected. I can tell you honestly that I do not know"
"It worries me," Ariel said, turning back to the group. "Injection of power is the final stage of apotheosis. Tiber Septim used the power of the Chim-el Adabal to become Talos, and Martin Septim used the same crystal to assume the avatar of Akatosh"
Latta approached Relmyna. "Perhaps you can tell us this, then. Who has the Necromancer's Amulet?"
Relmyna smiled wickedly. "It has been returned to its rightful owner. It is being sheltered with Mannimarco in the Waters of Oblivion"
"So on the 13th, I'm guessing somebody is planning to combine the powers of the Revenant and the Necromancer's Amulet to bring the newly-immortal Mannimarco back to Tamriel" Camri mused. "Thankfully, we can now be there to stop it"
"And you think you can stop Mannimarco by plunging a sword through him?" Relmyna spat. "His power does not come from an amulet, or some celestial phenomenon. His power comes from hallowed ground, the temple of the necromancers, a conduit for evil!"
Suddenly, Relmyna curled her fingertips round so that they were touching the palms of her hands, and began to convulse and buck wildly against the blades holding her in place as electricity surged through her body. Then, she keeled forward, dead.
"Don't worry" Camri said. "We know enough. Latta – that's stage one of your four-stage plan complete. What was next?"
"We need to eliminate the manufacture of black soul gems, and seek and destroy the source of Mannimarco's power"
"I'll take the second one. I'm going to go to the Dark Fissure on the 13th and see what I can learn. Ariel, you should come with me. Areen, Latta, Assurrani, I'm leaving you to eliminate the black soul gem manufacture"
"How do we do that?" Latta asked.
"First, call on some old friends of mine. Go to the Garden of Dareloth in the Imperial City – at midnight every night a man called Armand Christophe will be there. Tell him you're with me, and tell him you need every magic shop and Mages' Guild branch raided and cleared out of grand soul gems. I'll pay the expenses. Do not destroy the soul gems, just keep them out of harm's way. Then go to Fort Istrius, Fort Linchal and Wendelbek and destroy the altars there"
"That's a lot to take in" Assurrani quipped.
"What do you want me to do, Camri?" Halisman asked, reserved.
Camri smiled warmly at the Imperial Knight. "You're coming with Ariel, of course!"
--
The group reached the outside of Vilverin without incident, but then noticed two Legion soldiers approaching from the ring road, escorting a strange golden figure.
"That's a Golden Saint" keen-eyed Assurrani said, identifying the figure. Camri followed his gaze.
"More specifically, that's Staada. She doesn't look in a good way. Cover me"
Assurrani drew his bow and crouched down, drawing a bead on the approaching soldiers as Camri ran over to meet them. Staada's face visibly lit up when she saw Camri.
"Camri, thank Arden-Sul!" she said weakly.
"You'd better not have done this to her" Camri said, addressing the two Legion soldiers.
One of the soldiers opened his mouth, but Staada spoke first. "They saved me, Camri. We got attacked by a big group of mages in black robes"
"Necromancers" Camri explained. "You can let her go now, gentlemen. I'll look after her"
The Legion soldiers released Staada and she collapsed into Camri's arms. Camri noticed her body was covered in grazes and scorch marks, and there was a large arrow entry wound on her arm.
"What are you doing here, Staada?" Camri said, holding the Golden Saint tightly.
"Sheogorath turned. I had to flee the Shivering Isles. Three of us made it to Tamriel, but only I survived the attack from the necromancers"
Camri beckoned Latta over.
"What happened?" Latta asked.
"It's my fault. I confronted him about how he's aligning to Dementia, then he ordered the Dark Seducers to march on the Wellspring at Saints' Watch and stop its flow. My only hope of survival was to flee. I don't know what to do…"
"Camri, I have to go back to the Shivering Isles and deal with this problem," Latta said sternly. "I know Sheogorath's whim might change by the second but I will not let him condemn an entire race to death like this. I will speak with Meridia too. Staada, you should stay in Tamriel. I don't think the Shivering Isles are safe to return to yet"
"We've got a few days to rest" Camri said to Staada. "You can stay with us – you'll be safe"
--
Camri awoke abruptly as he heard a muffled scream coming from next door, followed by rapid breathing. Looking around the small room he was in, he could see Assurrani, Areen and Halisman still sleeping – none of them had heard it. Dawn was just beginning to break through the shuttered window.
Climbing out of bed, Camri picked his sword up and cautiously opened the door, leaving the room and walking out into the hallway of the top floor of the inn, to be greeted with the sight of Ariel gazing out of the window, breathing rapidly.
"Ariel?" Camri said, approaching her. "Was that you screaming?"
Ariel nodded.
"Bad dream?"
Turning to face Camri, Ariel spoke softly. "That doesn't even begin to describe it, Camri. I saw terrible things. The end of the world. Oblivion gates, Daedra, destruction… Tamriel was burning. Huge voids were appearing in the ground and swallowing up everything in their path…"
"Looks like we've got some tough times ahead of us" Camri said. "We'd better warn the Emperor about this…"
"Camri, I probably should have told you this before, but… the vision I had about the blue crystal. I've had it before, years and years ago. My dreams and visions don't necessarily relate to whatever I'm currently involved in. When I first saw Halisman I recognised him from an old dream"
"Wait here" Camri said, running back into his room and grabbing a notebook and a quill, then rejoining Ariel.
"We need to ascertain whether what you just saw is to do with Mannimarco, or something else. Now, during the Oblivion crisis, did you see an Oblivion gate?"
"No, the crisis didn't really hit High Rock. There was one in Wayrest but I never saw it"
"Alright. Draw the one you saw in your dream"
Ariel obliged, drawing a rough sketch in Camri's notebook. It depicted an Oblivion gate made of two horn-like pillars, surrounded by jagged, grey rocks.
"That's one of Dagon's" Camri explained. "I saw a fair few of them during the Oblivion crisis. Each Daedra has their own type of gate – you've seen Sheogorath's one, it looks nothing like this"
"So we need to find out if Dagon is involved with Mannimarco?" Ariel asked.
"Exactly!" Camri said, smiling. "When it opens in a few hours I'm going to go to the Centre for Daedric Intelligence at the Arcane University. You should come with me"
--
Three hours later, Camri and Ariel, accompanied by Marlus Halisman, approached the Centre for Daedric Intelligence in the grounds of the Arcane University and knocked on the door. A moment later, Torasal Sarethi opened it.
"Ah, gentlemen, and lady, please come in" Sarethi said, ushering the three in. "What can I do for you? How goes the fight against necromancy?"
"We're making ground" Camri replied. "We've identified the source of Mannimarco's power, we just don't know where it is…"
"Interesting. Very interesting. I'm sure you've had many encounters with Sheogorath too – anything interesting you could tell me?"
"We could spend all morning telling you about Sheogorath's antics" Ariel said. "But we've got a more important question"
Sarethi looked at the three expectantly.
"Which Daedra is sheltering Mannimarco?" Camri asked.
Sarethi hesitated, unsure of the answer.
"Or, more specifically, is it Mehrunes Dagon?"
"I would stake my life on it not being Mehrunes Dagon. Remember, the portals from here to his lands are sealed forever now. The two Daedra with the strongest connections to the Undead are Malacath and Namira"
"Right. And are any Daedra known to have Oblivion gates of the same appearance as Dagon's?"
"You mean the ones shaped like the Daedric letter O? No, only Mehrunes Dagon ever creates those"
Camri turned to Ariel, a deeply worried look on his face. "That means that you have foreseen a time in the future when the portals between here and Dagon's plane of Oblivion are undone. We need to tell someone about this. We'd better request an audience with the Emperor…"
"Mr Everlight, in my experience I have always found Chancellor Ocato to be easier to deal with" Sarethi suggested.
"Me too" Camri conceded.
--
Her voice echoing around the vast and empty main hall of the Elder Council Chambers, Ariel explained everything to High Chancellor Ocato – her dream, and what it meant, and how it had nothing to do with the fight against necromancy.
"This does sound like a grave matter indeed" the Altmer said, having let Ariel's words sink in. "I will brief the Emperor on this immediately. Thank you for coming to me. Might I ask how progress in your quest is going?"
"We're onto a few major leads," Camri said. He had always trusted Chancellor Ocato, and knew him as a respectable and honest man. "Something big is happening at Dark Fissure in a few days' time. We think it could be Mannimarco finally returning to walk Tamriel. And we have identified the source of his divine power, but alas not its location"
"I'll tell the Cartography that you're free to browse all of their maps" Ocato said. "What do you think his power source might be?"
"A gemstone, hidden in a tower in a remote corner of Tamriel" Ariel said. "We plan to use Latta to spirit the gemstone away to the Shivering Isles – we're hoping that the removal of it from Tamriel will drain Mannimarco's divine power, much in the way that the loss of the Amulet of Kings effectively ended the Septim Dynasty"
Ocato nodded, impressed at the plan and the depth of Ariel's knowledge.
"The Amulet of Kings fascinates me," he said. "I have seen first-hand what it can do. Anyway, thank you for relaying this information to me. I will go and speak to the Emperor immediately"
--
Within an hour, Camri, Ariel and Halisman had been located by two of Chancellor Ocato's personal guard, re-supplying with arrows, alchemy ingredients and other equipment in the Market District. Camri recognised one of the guards as Merthur Calvia, a man he had known for a long time – the pair had done a lot of hiking and exploring together in their formative years and had kept in touch ever since.
"Camri, the Emperor wishes to see you" Calvia said to his friend. The look on his face suggests it was bad news.
"Do you know what it's about?" Camri asked.
"I do" Calvia replied. "I would rather let him tell you, though. Since he's a champion bullshitter I expect he can word it a lot better than me"
Dreading what was to follow, the three followed Calvia and the other guard back to the Council Chambers, where they found the Emperor waiting with four more guards – the fact that the Emperor seemed to be anticipating an attack or violent reaction did little to refill Camri's confidence.
"Camri, Ariel, Marlus" Emperor Carius said, greeting the three. "Let me tell you that this was not an easy decision to come to, but I am doing it for the good of everyone"
"Get on with it" Camri said under his breath. The Emperor either didn't hear him or chose to ignore him.
"This dream that Ariel had seems to be an early warning to what could be a major crisis, something on the scale of the Oblivion crisis – a major threat to the people of Tamriel. If we are to repel whatever this threat is, we need to know more, so I cannot risk harm coming to Ariel. It is my intention to remove her from your mission forthwith"
The three stood in shocked silence, before Camri spoke.
"You know of the prophecy, Emperor. It has to be Assurrani, Ariel and myself. Peripheral members come and go. But think of what the Empire went through to bring us together! How many people lost their lives! And now you're undoing it?"
"Many more people will die if we lose Ariel's gift of foresight" the Emperor retorted. "I have been on the run all my life from people like you" Ariel said, her voice containing venom that Camri had never heard before. "People who want to exploit me"
"I can assure you that no harm will come to you, Ariel. Do you not trust the Empire?"
"I trust the Empire, but I don't trust its leader"
"Ariel, I'm afraid you leave us with little choice"
"You leave me with little choice too" Ariel said, before turning to face Camri. "I think this is the right thing to do. The Emperor is right – if I foresee what's going to happen to Tamriel in the future, preparations can be made. Lives can be saved"
"Do not think you will be a prisoner, Ariel," the Emperor said. "You will be free to go wherever you want in the Imperial City, and I will keep Halisman on as your personal guard"
"Much as it pains me to say this, Ariel," Camri began, "We can get by with this solution. You know that your strength does not lie in the battlefield, which is where our quest is now turning to. I will come and visit you in the City to ask about any useful information you might have… and just to see you of course"
Ariel hesitated for a long time. "Alright. But I'm not answering to you. Put Chancellor Ocato or the Arch-Mage in charge of me"
"Once again, you leave us with little choice," the Emperor said somewhat reluctantly. "We need you under our protection. You shall be placed under the executive watch of Chancellor Ocato"
With that, Camri turned to Halisman and shook his hand. "I haven't known you for long, Marlus, but I was wrong not to trust you at first. You're a good man. Look after her"
Then, with tears welling up in her eyes, Ariel embraced Camri. Camri held his friend tightly in his arms as he spoke to her softly.
"I'll miss you, Ariel. I know I'll see you frequently but it just won't be the same. We've been through a lot together. It doesn't feel right taking on Mannimarco without you"
Eventually, the two parted and Camri left the Council Chambers, making a point of not acknowledging the Emperor.
--
Walking into the Foaming Flask Inn, Camri quickly located Assurrani, Areen and Staada. Staada was wearing a blue mage's robe, sourced from the Arcane University, along with its accompanying hood – with her golden skin and delicate features, dressed such as this she could easily pass herself off as a High Elf to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
"Camri… You look terrible. What is it?" Assurrani asked.
Camri told the other three what had just happened, about Ariel being withdrawn from the quest. Once he had finished, no-one spoke, so he broke the silence.
"From now on we all stick together. We've been on too many different paths at once. I can't bring Ariel and Latta back – yet – but now our number has been reduced so much I don't think we should split up like I'd planned. The Shade of the Revenant is tonight"
"I want to hear your plan for the Revenant, Camri" Assurrani said. "It sounds to me like you're planning on going in blind at the moment"
"We're not going in blind. If we're right and tonight is Mannimarco's return to Tamriel, we have one more thing we need to find out. The location of the necromancers' temple – where that blue gemstone is, and other things, like if there's a key or anything we need to get in there. If we take out a few necromancers while we're there, that's an added bonus"
"We've trusted you this far and you have always come out on top, Camri" Areen said. "To Dark Fissure it is"